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2009 Predictions: Macworld's annual forecast of the year ahead
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#2
applecrate 
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 11:59 AM
I predict a unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro tomorrow-ish.
#4
simonsharks
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 12:45 PM
There is a good chance than none of these "predictions" will happen!
I doubt Apple will announce anything new, my predictions are:
- Updated Mini, Speed boosts to iMac and Pro
- Snow Leopard introduction.
- Possibly an updated time machine with media server functionality (this is my hope)
I doubt Apple will announce anything new, my predictions are:
- Updated Mini, Speed boosts to iMac and Pro
- Snow Leopard introduction.
- Possibly an updated time machine with media server functionality (this is my hope)
#5
RhymingDesigner
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 12:47 PM
Ha Ha. I used to think Andy was so darn funny, but then I got to John Moltz. Ha Ha Ha. Oh how clever and witty. Ha Ha.
Note to Macworld: If you couldn't get more staff members to contribute, just settle for a shorter article. As it is, you tripped on the way out the door.
Note to Macworld: If you couldn't get more staff members to contribute, just settle for a shorter article. As it is, you tripped on the way out the door.
#6
NorCalTuna
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 12:47 PM
Dear Apple, c/o Steve Jobs:
In 2009, I would like you to fix the USA. Having no debt, billions in capital and more cache than any other corporation in history, if anybody besides Barack Obama can be the catalyst to do it, Steve can. Here's a few suggestions on how to fix the usa.
1. Build an enormous, incredibly modern, factory in the USA. New Mexico, West Texas... Build an enormous wind and solar farm there. Employ domestic workers building this facility and in it's operation when completed. You don't have to go all in- You have multiple product lines! Stop giving the other guy all our cash and then paying somebody to ship them over on a dirty boat. Steve: you were so proud of your next factory. Remember? Do you? Next lives in every OSX box- now bring em home.
2. Buy a domestic automaker at the lowest price since Eisenhower. Force them to build products your way: Perfectly. And, it would help... electrical! It will take time but once the chaff (other, old models) is stripped off, apple cars- with 5 to 6 models and the highest commitment to quality and design will pretty much be it. Transportation is the dirtiest necessary evil the US faces, it needs innovation more than anything else!
3. Remember how Rome came apart? Shaky succession of power, for those playing at home. When Steve sneezes, billions of dollars evaporate in stock holder dollars, leading to bizarre media frenzies and blog blah. How about that Hoax Kid? Did he cost you? Apple needs to prove to the world, as the next generation leader of the Corporate World, that it is more than it's founders: It owes that to it's devout users and heroic developers. Show us who makes Apple what it is besides Steve Jobs so that Apple will exist in perpetuity.
Steve: I hope you feel better.
Apple has a chance to demonstrate what us tech can really do.
Message was edited by: NorCalTuna spelling change
In 2009, I would like you to fix the USA. Having no debt, billions in capital and more cache than any other corporation in history, if anybody besides Barack Obama can be the catalyst to do it, Steve can. Here's a few suggestions on how to fix the usa.
1. Build an enormous, incredibly modern, factory in the USA. New Mexico, West Texas... Build an enormous wind and solar farm there. Employ domestic workers building this facility and in it's operation when completed. You don't have to go all in- You have multiple product lines! Stop giving the other guy all our cash and then paying somebody to ship them over on a dirty boat. Steve: you were so proud of your next factory. Remember? Do you? Next lives in every OSX box- now bring em home.
2. Buy a domestic automaker at the lowest price since Eisenhower. Force them to build products your way: Perfectly. And, it would help... electrical! It will take time but once the chaff (other, old models) is stripped off, apple cars- with 5 to 6 models and the highest commitment to quality and design will pretty much be it. Transportation is the dirtiest necessary evil the US faces, it needs innovation more than anything else!
3. Remember how Rome came apart? Shaky succession of power, for those playing at home. When Steve sneezes, billions of dollars evaporate in stock holder dollars, leading to bizarre media frenzies and blog blah. How about that Hoax Kid? Did he cost you? Apple needs to prove to the world, as the next generation leader of the Corporate World, that it is more than it's founders: It owes that to it's devout users and heroic developers. Show us who makes Apple what it is besides Steve Jobs so that Apple will exist in perpetuity.
Steve: I hope you feel better.
Apple has a chance to demonstrate what us tech can really do.
Message was edited by: NorCalTuna spelling change
#7
XMattingly
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 01:00 PM
Dag, yo. You guys are practically recycling your entire list from last year! With all the hype going on these days about netbooks, I'm surprised no one included that in their forecast, rather than a tablet. Applecrate predicts the most realistic announcement: a 17" unibody MBP. As for mine:
1. An updated Mac Mini is a given. Who knows what the exact nature of the upgrade will be, but it's long due for an overhaul. Most obvious and likely will be supporting more RAM and a better GPU, and a faster processor.
1.5 It would be interesting the see the Mac Mini and Apple TV merged, and rebranded as a single product: A consumer level desktop computer/ media server combo device. Connectivity to your TV could be supplemented with a wireless "dumb" hard drive, along the lines of a Time Capsule.
2. Netbook/tablet Mac? Not likely. But if either surfaces, it'll be late in the year. In any event, should something like this ever be released, it will lean heavily on multi-touch for input, and essentially be a gateway product for much more prominent touch input in future OS releases.
3. iPhone Nano. Apple will have to keep the momentum going for the "third leg" of its business. Putting out a smaller phone is a simplistic answer, but a new, smaller form factor without smart phone features (and the high subscription price) would open the doors to a whole segment of the cell phone market.
4. 10.7 announcement. I think Apple will have something to say about it late in the year, around the time Windows 7 hits the market. Snow Leopard may be a spit and polish release, but the development behind it is to line up for much greater and dynamic OS features to come. OS X is the lifeblood of Apple, Inc. right now: I guarantee you they're not simply taking a breather with 10.6.
5. I'm with you, Mr. Frakes - chalk this up to a wish list. I've never really felt Apple was interested in diminishing the bank they make off Mac Pro's, but I've come around to the idea of a mini tower. Cheaper than a Pro tower, but vastly more expansive than any other Mac desktop. I think $1800 ($1000 less than the cheapest Mac Pro) would hit a sweet spot. PCI expansion, room for at least one extra hard drive, and RAM expansion to 16GB - great options for those who want a little flexibility, but a Pro tower is total overkill. In the current economy, Apple would be stupid to not enter a low cost tower into the market.
1. An updated Mac Mini is a given. Who knows what the exact nature of the upgrade will be, but it's long due for an overhaul. Most obvious and likely will be supporting more RAM and a better GPU, and a faster processor.
1.5 It would be interesting the see the Mac Mini and Apple TV merged, and rebranded as a single product: A consumer level desktop computer/ media server combo device. Connectivity to your TV could be supplemented with a wireless "dumb" hard drive, along the lines of a Time Capsule.
2. Netbook/tablet Mac? Not likely. But if either surfaces, it'll be late in the year. In any event, should something like this ever be released, it will lean heavily on multi-touch for input, and essentially be a gateway product for much more prominent touch input in future OS releases.
3. iPhone Nano. Apple will have to keep the momentum going for the "third leg" of its business. Putting out a smaller phone is a simplistic answer, but a new, smaller form factor without smart phone features (and the high subscription price) would open the doors to a whole segment of the cell phone market.
4. 10.7 announcement. I think Apple will have something to say about it late in the year, around the time Windows 7 hits the market. Snow Leopard may be a spit and polish release, but the development behind it is to line up for much greater and dynamic OS features to come. OS X is the lifeblood of Apple, Inc. right now: I guarantee you they're not simply taking a breather with 10.6.
5. I'm with you, Mr. Frakes - chalk this up to a wish list. I've never really felt Apple was interested in diminishing the bank they make off Mac Pro's, but I've come around to the idea of a mini tower. Cheaper than a Pro tower, but vastly more expansive than any other Mac desktop. I think $1800 ($1000 less than the cheapest Mac Pro) would hit a sweet spot. PCI expansion, room for at least one extra hard drive, and RAM expansion to 16GB - great options for those who want a little flexibility, but a Pro tower is total overkill. In the current economy, Apple would be stupid to not enter a low cost tower into the market.
#8
DrDAT
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 01:08 PM
Engst: Lose the angst. One can buy reading glasses from Walgreens that allow viewing of an iPod touch for $17...100 times cheaper than the kludge you imagine.
Andy: get out of Chicago. That big cloud you imagine is reality to you...no one else. Chicago's past and present leave little room for a futurist (Blago come to mind?).
Dr. DAT
Andy: get out of Chicago. That big cloud you imagine is reality to you...no one else. Chicago's past and present leave little room for a futurist (Blago come to mind?).
Dr. DAT
#10
WRCz
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 02:33 PM
It may not happen tomorrow, but mark my words: the tablet Mac, the Mac netbook and the 'bigger' iPod Touch will all be the same device. Anything else would be redundant.
And with a software upgrade, the new Mac mini will be the media server.
And with a software upgrade, the new Mac mini will be the media server.
#11
Steve_S
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 02:41 PM
New iMacs, Mac Mini, iLife and iWork (and Snow Leopard preview) are pretty much expected.
I think Apple wants to make a netbook/tablet thingy... we would all think it's great, but I'm not convinced there is much of a market for either. Hopefully, I'll be proven wrong on that. I suspect Apple doesn't have much faith in this type of a device either. There is a difference between building a cool product and building a product that people need (i.e. one that fills a void). There was a real void with the iPod and iPhone, etc. There were already popular devices and Apple just did a better job at making the device.
I would love to see a new and improved AppleTV that both plays 1080p and has basic video gaming capabilities. I'm not counting on it though.
I think Apple wants to make a netbook/tablet thingy... we would all think it's great, but I'm not convinced there is much of a market for either. Hopefully, I'll be proven wrong on that. I suspect Apple doesn't have much faith in this type of a device either. There is a difference between building a cool product and building a product that people need (i.e. one that fills a void). There was a real void with the iPod and iPhone, etc. There were already popular devices and Apple just did a better job at making the device.
I would love to see a new and improved AppleTV that both plays 1080p and has basic video gaming capabilities. I'm not counting on it though.
#13
doglesby
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Posted 05 January 2009 - 03:09 PM
I predict at least one viral news story about someone who went completely insane from watching ad-supported digital content and killed someone. "How many times?! How many times will they make me watch the same ad!?" he'll scream in the oft-replayed clip. Everyone who was touting the future of ad-supported digital content will sheepishly proclaim, "I never thought people would watch the ads."
Alternatively, that medium will take off. More ads will be made. Distributors will sell more ad time. And some genius will point out that ad-supported online digital distribution is exactly the same as owning a TiVo, only you have to sit through commercials... in front of your computer.
I like the Apple TV take 15/media server predictions. When I went on travel for the holidays, I wanted my library with me so I migrated it to my MBP. This creates 2 problems: 1) My drive has become rather cramped 2) I had rented a movie that I couldn't play (the stellar support at the iTunes Store corrected that issue for me). I want the ability to take all my music, all episodes of Firefly, all unwatched episodes of the other shows and podcasts, and some portion of my movies (especially the rented ones). I want to download the new free items from the store while I'm away. When I get back the play counts, ratings, watched/unwatched status, new downloads, etc sync back to my library.
Alternatively, that medium will take off. More ads will be made. Distributors will sell more ad time. And some genius will point out that ad-supported online digital distribution is exactly the same as owning a TiVo, only you have to sit through commercials... in front of your computer.
I like the Apple TV take 15/media server predictions. When I went on travel for the holidays, I wanted my library with me so I migrated it to my MBP. This creates 2 problems: 1) My drive has become rather cramped 2) I had rented a movie that I couldn't play (the stellar support at the iTunes Store corrected that issue for me). I want the ability to take all my music, all episodes of Firefly, all unwatched episodes of the other shows and podcasts, and some portion of my movies (especially the rented ones). I want to download the new free items from the store while I'm away. When I get back the play counts, ratings, watched/unwatched status, new downloads, etc sync back to my library.
